Canada talking with Trump allies in U.S. to prepare for possible 2nd term: envoy – National | 24CA News
Canadian diplomats have been talking with advisers and congressional allies of former U.S. president Donald Trump to put the groundwork for a powerful relationship if Trump returns to the White House subsequent yr, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. says.
Those conversations have been optimistic, Ambassador Kirsten Hillman notes, and haven’t been knowledgeable by both Trump’s sometimes-frosty relationship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he was president, nor by Trudeau and the Liberals lately invoking Trump’s right-wing populism when referring to the Conservatives at residence.
“I have not had anyone comment on that to me,” Hillman mentioned when requested about Trudeau’s feedback by Eric Sorensen in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block.
“We tend to focus on results. We tend to focus really on, what (are) the policy issues that are core to Americans and Canadians?”
Those outcomes embody the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement throughout Trump’s first time period, which Hillman mentioned is regarded by each American and Canadian officers as “a really important success.” She mentioned politics are usually not taking part in into discussions on different shared priorities both.
“My experience is that on those local issues — economic security, environmental security, national security, food security — those are not partisan issues,” she mentioned. “Both Democrats and Republicans want to assure those things for their voters and for their constituents.
“What we do is we talk about the issues. We talk about how those goals of theirs are enhanced by making sure that their partnership with Canada is as strong as it can be.”
Trudeau final month tasked Trade Minister Mary Ng and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne with collaborating with trade teams, civil society organizations and different ranges of presidency in engaged on cross-border relations — a part of a “Team Canada” method to make sure relations are saved on observe after November’s elections. Hillman and her staff in Washington are one other key a part of the technique.
While Hillman made clear conversations are being had with each Republicans and Democrats to organize for any outcome, the potential for a second Trump time period has change into acute in current weeks.
A Reuters-Ipsos ballot final month discovered Trump leads U.S. President Joe Biden 40 per cent to 34 per cent in a hypothetical matchup. Trump maintained his six-point lead over Biden within the ballot when third-party candidates had been included as choices. Trump is at present dominating the Republican presidential major and is extensively anticipated to clinch the nomination as quickly as March.
The ballot additionally discovered three-quarters of voters consider Biden, 81, is just too outdated to stay in authorities, in comparison with half of respondents who mentioned the identical concerning the 77-year-old Trump. Concerns about Biden’s age had been additional fueled final week when a particular counsel report on an investigation into his dealing with of categorised paperwork repeatedly talked about Biden’s “poor” and “fuzzy” reminiscence and “diminished faculties” as explanation why prison costs shouldn’t be introduced.
Meanwhile, the probability of Trump being convicted in any of the 4 prison instances towards him earlier than the election has dimmed amid a number of judicial delays.
“We’re absolutely talking to Republicans that are advising former president Trump and to strategists that are advising him and, of course, to his allies in Congress and at the state level,” Hillman mentioned when requested concerning the conversations.
Although Trudeau has mentioned Trump “represents a certain amount of unpredictability” within the Canada-U.S. relationship and has negatively in contrast his insurance policies with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Hillman says she’s not centered on that — and neither are the individuals she speaks to.
“People who are supporters of President Trump are not distressed by being pointed out as being supporters of President Trump,” she mentioned. “They’re proud to be supporters of President Trump.”
Those supporters are additionally pleased with Trump’s insurance policies, she provides, a few of which she mentioned “work well in the Canada-U.S. relationship” and “some of them don’t.” She didn’t specify which insurance policies are which.
“The same thing is true of President Biden. There are some policies that he has that have been difficult for us,” she continued, additionally with out specifying.
Canada has beforehand objected publicly to Biden’s tax credit for electrical autos that incentivized U.S. producers — which had been finally amended to incorporate Canadian firms — in addition to the administration’s “Buy American” manufacturing technique and continued tariffs on softwood lumber.
Hillman emphasizes that, regardless of the deal with who will occupy the White House come January, equal significance is being paid by her diplomatic staff to forming and sustaining relationships with each events in Congress, which will even be affected by the November elections. Eleven state governor’s races will even be determined, together with in key border states Washington, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont and New Hampshire.
She additionally factors to the recently-launched bipartisan American-Canadian Economy and Security Caucus within the U.S. Congress that’s centered on strengthening the Canada-U.S. relationship. The caucus has a membership of greater than 5 dozen senators and representatives from all corners of the U.S., together with Texas, Nevada, Maine and North Dakota.
“They couldn’t be more bullish on this relationship,” mentioned Hillman, who met with the caucus at on the Canadian embassy final fall. “And I don’t think that should be a surprise to Canadians, because ultimately, Americans, regardless of the stripes, are deeply concerned about ensuring resilience in their country.”
Strengthening the Canada-U.S. relationship is especially vital given the present geopolitical local weather, she provides.
“The world is really complicated right now,” she mentioned.
“Given that the United States is our closest ally, our most important trading partner, our most important security partner, making sure this relationship is as strong as it possibly can be is job one.”
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